Developing 'Not My Fault'

The 'Not My Fault' Project

Not My Fault is a Wellcome Trust and Arts Council England-funded project creating new pieces of theatre about genetic variation and health. Following a 3-day workshop at the Eden Project, three plays are in development, and Theatrescience is also supporting three young writers from the South West to create pocket-sized pieces which will be performed at the Eden Project in November 2010.

Not My Fault is predominantly concerned with genetic difference and predisposition towards certain conditions. Whilst some of the plays commissioned deal with illness, others reflect upon different genetic factors, such as the way in which we age or behave, that nonetheless impact upon our health.

The project includes three full-scale plays: State of Nature (focusing on dementia with Lewy Bodies) by Simon Turley; Extremely Brief and Violent (theorising on the possible genetic predisposition towards violence) by Selma Dimitrijevic and 50/50 (dealing with the way in which Huntingdon's Disease is inherited) by Alison Falconer. State of Nature was performed in November 2010 at the Eden Project and is documented in this archive. The other two plays are in development, and excerpts from readings of both can be seen by clicking on the buttons below:

50/50 - Introduction & Discusssion

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50/50 - Excerpt Reading

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Extremely Brief and Violent - Introduction & Discussion

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Extremely Brief and Violent - Excerpt Reading

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There were also three short plays by younger writers that accompanied State of Nature at the Eden Project: Life in Ben's World (looking at age and aging) by Sophie Macdonald; Caroline (a monologue reflecting on bipolar disorder) by Jack Redmond and Perfect Match (a comedy centred on the idea of a genetic-based dating service) by Kitty O'Keeffe. These are also documented in this archive.